Organizers set up challenges for bowlers

For the seventh consecutive year, the best bowlers in the United States will descend on Goldsboro for the King Pin Scratch Open at AMF Boulevard Lanes.

This year's tournament will feature a tougher format, more challenging lane patterns and a bigger first-place prize.

"There are definitely a few new wrinkles for the tournament in 2012," organizer Clarke Hill said. "We have changed the format to better reward the more consistent players over the two days."

Players will begin qualifying on Saturday at noon. The bowlers will throw six games and then the field will be cut in half based on total pins. The players who advance will bowl three more games before the field is cut to the top 20. After three more games, the field will be cut to the final 10 based on cumulative pins for one final do-or-die game.

The finals will feature the top five overall bowlers and put them in a head-to-head stepladder format.

"This year's event is going to be more of a marathon than past years," Hill said. "I felt like too often the guy who bowled the best on Saturday got no reward once the field was cut to 20 and the pin count was erased. So now in order to win the event, a player is going to have to bowl consistently well both Saturday and Sunday."

Hill also changed the oil pattern on the lanes to the modified U.S. Open pattern which will further emphasize consistency and mechanics.

"It's a really tough pattern and the lanes are going to be re-oiled after each round," Hill said. "I think that any player who can average around 190 for two days will certainly have a chance to make the final 20."

The winner of the tournament will take home $7,000.

With that kind of money on the line, the list of entrants has drawn some high-profile names. PBA Hall of Famer Kurt Pilon has already registered and will be making the trip from his Michigan home. Raleigh native B.J. Moore, the 2011 champion, will return to defend his title.

Local product Brian Dennis, who won the summer tournament at AMF Boulevard Lanes, is also in the field.

The tournament is sponsored by Goldsboro Spine Center, RA Jeffreys, Chevrolet of Goldsboro, Mayflower and the News-Argus.